You go outside to explore what you’ve just learned.
You dig around in the dirt; you test the acidity of the soil. All this is enough to work up an appetite: it’s time for lunch, after which, an area farmer gives a guest lec- ture about the process of becoming organically certi- fied, sharing insights gleaned from his experiences. A day at the Loyola University Retreat and Ecology
Center differs from a day at one of the urban cam- puses in more than just start time. “We can immerse students in the natural envi-
ronment and give them related opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have at Loyola,” says Adam Schubel, a research associate in the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy. “We can help develop a conservation ethic and encourage lifestyles that function harmoniously with ecological systems.” Students participating in the sustainable agricul-
ture course this summer experience a mix of time in the classroom, practical application of skills, and reflection on larger implications. “My main interest is agriculture, and this is an op- portunity to get out there and do what I want to do,” says Alex Tuchman, a student in the course, who now works as an intern on the farm. “This is an invaluable experience.” Students help care for the
ABOUT THE RETREAT AND ECOLOGY CAMPUS
Plans for the farm include investigating alternative sources of energy, exploring extended-season farming, and learn- ing more about natural pest control. Ultimately the hope is for the LUREC farm to become a show- case of environmen- tal sustainability.
farm’s 60 chickens as well as the bees in the apiary. They plant, water, and harvest crops for Scott, the chef, to use in meals, and eventually they hope to offer farm prod- ucts for sale. They’re building a shed and an updated chick- en coop. Schubel, who heads up the farm programming at the campus, has students put together researched
“livestock feasibility reports” about what types of animals would make good additions to the farm. They visit area farms to learn about different methods and approaches to farming. They observe the processes studied in biology and chemistry at Loyola’s urban campuses as they play out in nature. “It’s helped me to understand the process,” says
Donna Friedman, a senior biology major and a sus- tainable agriculture intern. “We plant, we cultivate, we harvest. It’s experiential learning at its dirtiest.” Tuchman agrees. “That’s one of the most excit-
ing aspects for me,” he says. “Being able to put in the study time, and then the next day wake up and practice what you just learned. You’re matching your intellect up with practicality and your ideals with what you can actually do.”
Loyola works toward transparency and long-term planning in the community. UNIVERSI T Y COMMUNI T Y R E LAT IONS Like a good neighbor A
s the Lake Shore Campus grows and evolves, it means better experiences for every-
one on campus. But what does it mean for the surrounding community—the people who live and work in Rogers Park and Edgewater? The community relations team has worked hard to make the University not only a force for good in the neighborhood, but a good neighbor. “When I first started at Loyola ten
years ago, there were some damaged relations,” says Jennifer Clark, associate vice president of campus-community planning. “Especially where property and development were concerned, Loyola was seen by some to do every- thing behind closed doors.” Dorothy Gregory, who has lived in
the neighborhood since 1968, agrees. Frustrated with buildings that would go up or come down without the knowledge of the community, Gregory began organizing to ask for more trans- parency and big-picture planning. Phil Kosiba, Loyola’s vice president
of facilities, has been with Loyola since 1980. “I was thankful for Phil,” says Gregory. “He was a mediator and understood where the neighborhood was coming from. What’s good for the neighborhood is good for Loyola, too.”
Most of the current community
relations team arrived the same time Father Garanzini did, ten years ago. “We’ve demolished 11 buildings,
built 13 new ones, and doubled stu- dent population,” says Clark. “We cre- ate long-term plans and follow them.” Gregory, who has continued to work
on Loyola’s relationship with Rogers Park and Edgewater, has largely been pleased with the progress. “Overall, I think we are in much better shape. The whole point was not to be insular,” she says. “Once we all started work- ing together, attitudes about Loyola changed in more positive directions. There is always room for improvement, but we’ll keep moving forward.” A Lake Shore Campus advisory
council, consisting of University and community stakeholders, regularly meets to discuss issues of mutual inter- est. The University and the community lobbied the CTA to run the 147 bus, which runs mostly express from the Lake Shore to Water Tower campuses, seven days a week. The joint efforts convinced the CTA to pilot it.
Phil Kosiba, who has worked with the community and Loyola for 31 years, retired this summer. Read a story about his daughter, Karen, on page 24.
SUMMER 2011
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